The concept of the “Triple Bottom Line” – measuring the success of a business by its track record on people and planet, instead of just profit – has been around for almost 30 years. And yet these days, it’s evermore front and center: As we emerge from a pandemic that in many ways clarified what really matters, promo employees and end-users alike are increasingly vocal about how their employers’ choices can – and should – honor everyone the business touches, from factory workers and customers to suppliers and their local communities.

Unionwear, a New Jersey-based supplier, is a Made-in-the-USA union shop that’s been in business since the 1990s.

John Elkington, the serial entrepreneur who coined the phrase Triple Bottom Line in the 1990s, reflected in 2018 in the Harvard Business Review that success or failure cannot be measured by profit and loss alone but “the wellbeing of billions of people and the health of our planet.” This, he says, is what real long-term sustainability is about. When sustainability is discussed, there’s often a laser focus on the environmental aspects of the term, but social responsibility and consideration for all a company’s stakeholders – including its workers, consumers and the community at large – are just as vital. Here’s a look at how a handful of promotional products suppliers and distributors have committed to championing a people-first ethos in their operations.

Supporting Local Workers With Made-in-USA

For Keego Harbor, MI-based All USA Clothing (asi/30171), it’s all about the shared value of community and families, says Cary Heller, vice president of sales and a partner at the supplier. The second-generation family business has been exclusively selling Made-in-the-USA apparel and promo items for more than 50 years.

“Buying a Made-in-USA T-shirt flows down to many different levels,” Heller says. “You buy the T-shirt from me, you keep the people in my place working. If it’s made in Pakistan, Mexico, Vietnam – you’re supporting another economy, and maybe things you don’t realize, like child labor. People want to participate in something they agree with.”

All USA is also a union shop, so its people are protected with union contracts that ensure fair wages and access to benefits. Although vendors seek out All USA precisely because of its sourcing, about half its customers are municipalities who, bound by the Berry Amendment, are required to buy American. (The Berry Amendment was passed in 1941 to promote the purchase of U.S.-made goods during the war and is still in effect today.)

Heller says its factories are inspected “all the time.” The International Compliance Group conducts audits to reassure its vendors about factory conditions. Heller is proud to look around his office and see “a bunch of happy people.” He says working doesn’t often feel like work, but like talking to friends all day. “You just can’t have that kind of relationship with people who aren’t here,” he says. “The people part of All USA Clothing is the most important part.”

“We provide English, math and computer training – we’re constantly trying to make employees more valuable to Unionwear to support paying them higher wages. We’re probably the best-paying accessories manufacturer in the entire world.” Mitch Cahn, Unionwear

Another Made-in-the-USA and union shop, Newark, NJ-based Unionwear (asi/73775) has been in business since 1992 and makes investing in its people the utmost priority.

“We provide English, math and computer training – we’re constantly trying to make employees more valuable to Unionwear to support paying them higher wages,” says President Mitch Cahn. “We’re probably the best-paying accessories manufacturer in the entire world.”

In buying Made-in-USA products, Cahn says, the people who actually work on the machines are protected by national labor standards and laws. Both Cahn and Heller say that younger generations are very aware of this and buy accordingly.

Millennials especially love Made-in-USA products, Heller says. They have researched; they care where things are sourced and who’s behind the company. “We’ve seen that changing for quite some time, and it has definitely benefited us,” he says. “We’re a trusted source for that kind of product, service and sustainability.”

Made-in-USA is also a huge selling point for Unionwear, Cahn says. “If people want to be part of the solution to the problems caused by globalization,” he says, “it might interest them to work for us.”

A Commitment To Research & Transparency

Raleigh, NC-based distributor Brand Fuel (asi/145025) is celebrating 25 years in business this year. Named to the Counselor Best Places to Work list eight times, the distributor was also recently certified as a B Corp – a designation that means a company meets high standards in performance, accountability and transparency.

Mel Hubner, director of social impact and sustainability, has been at Brand Fuel since January of this year and focuses on making sure the company is cohesive with its values.

“I’m looking at impact reports, codes of conduct and then educating our team on who they are. If we just rely on three minutes to read about a product online, it’s difficult to get to the truth. It can be quite different from what’s being marketed.” Mel Hubner, Brand Fuel

“There has been harm done to people and planet,” Hubner says, adding that the distributor didn’t think about ROI when hiring her – but rather how it can double down on its multifactorial approach to transparency and a people-forward culture.

“I’m looking at impact reports, codes of conduct and then educating our team on who they are,” Hubner says, “and testifying to their certifications or red flags. Brand Fuel is really investing in me spending time to do that. If we just rely on three minutes to read about a product online, it’s difficult to get to the truth. It can be quite different from what’s being marketed.”

Hubner watches over Brand Fuel’s community partnerships, volunteerism, team engagement, purpose-driven/impact-driven company strategy and education for its team and clients. She also supports management with group decision-making, inclusivity and diversity.

Brand Fuel also opens its Raleigh, NC, headquarters for nonprofits to host meetings and events free of charge, Hubner says. Doing business as a source for good looks like many things, including offering thousands of products that have a giveback component and looking closely at its clients’ social stances, Hubner says.

“If they’re involved in racial injustice, we’re going to have the conversation around whether we should continue to work with them,” Hubner says. “We’ve encountered this in greenwashing and fast fashion. At the end of the day, we’re helping them advertise themselves, and do we want that to come back to Brand Fuel?”

Using Promo To Champion & Fund Causes

Logan Altman doesn’t necessarily see himself as someone who works in promo. “We’re not just a swag business,” says the chief impact officer at Doing Good Works (DGW; asi/222095), a Certified B Corp that was named a 2022 Counselor Best Place to Work and the 2020 recipient of the Bess Cohn Humanitarian Award. “We’re in the mental health space, and we fund these initiatives through branded merch.”

One of DGW’s initiatives is a nonprofit wing called Foster Greatness, which equips young adults who have experienced foster care with the tools to break generational cycles of trauma and thrive. Foster Greatness runs a 16-week master class that supports young adults with lived experience in the foster care system. Over 65% of DGW’s employees have lived experience in the foster system throughout its family of businesses.

In addition to learning how to show up on time and be part of a team, Foster Greatness offers wellness coaching, mentorship, financial literacy training, goal-setting – even sessions on how to access transportation and state resources.

“Most businesses have to get on board with mental health at the forefront, and we use promo to create these programs and fun initiatives. It has all come out of our branded merchandise space.” Logan Altman, Doing Good Works

The mentors at Foster Greatness lead by example, Altman adds, showing up daily and providing a consistency many of these kids haven’t had. He says it helps create a new mindset: “I’ve seen kids who never said more than two words break out of their shell.”

Founded in 2015 in Irvine, CA, Doing Good Works has a merch division called DGW Branded, which delivers high-impact promotional products. In conjunction with Foster Greatness, DGW Branded focuses on changing outcomes for members of the underserved fostered youth system, donating proceeds directly to the foster community, hiring former fostered youth and encouraging volunteerism directed to the cause.

Last year, DGW started Healthy Humans, a variety of courses, live workshops and events that focus on wellness, community and compassion for businesses, healthcare settings, colleges and nonprofits. It was born out of the pandemic and the realization that mental health needs to be top of mind if companies want to be truly great places to work, Altman says.

“Most businesses have to get on board with mental health at the forefront,” he says, “and we use promo to create these programs and fun initiatives. It has all come out of our branded merchandise space.”

Keeping an Eye on the Supply Chain

Top 40 supplier Next Level Apparel (NLA; asi/73867) is committed to ensuring human rights are present in every step of its global supply chain, says CEO Randy Hales. From harvesting raw materials to the delivery of apparel to its customers, these values figure prominently in its ESG standards, which also include responsible sourcing, supply-chain transparency, eliminating waste and reuse.

Ensuring that it’s sourcing materials responsibly can be a challenge, and the supplier regularly communicates about its efforts. Just recently, NLA noted that a small amount of its cotton fabric inventory had tested positive for originating from Xinjiang – a region in northwestern China from which imports are banned due to the suspected use of forced labor there. NLA has said that it’s quarantined the fabric and no additional garments will be made with it.

Responsible sourcing and supply chain transparency are issues that NLA’s customers care about, Hales says. “We’re focused on sharing NLA’s commitments and concerted efforts on the issue, while keeping an open line of communication for continual feedback and constant improvement,” he adds.

While NLA doesn’t source its cotton directly, it holds suppliers to the highest expectations and standards “endorsed by leading associations in our industry,” Hales says. “Over the past several months, we’ve also taken additional steps to help ensure the integrity of every piece of fabric we use, including bringing sourcing partnerships closer to home, transitioning to 100% U.S. cotton for fabric orders and implementing isotopic testing as an important safeguarding mechanism.”

“We’re focused on sharing NLA’s commitments and concerted efforts on the issue, while keeping an open line of communication for continual feedback and constant improvement.”Randy Hales, Next Level Apparel

Isotopic testing is a scientific process that helps ensure the cotton comes from where it’s purported to come from, and in March, NLA partnered with Oritain to perform such testing on its cotton. Earlier this year the Torrance, CA-based supplier said it was switching over to U.S.-grown cotton for all orders placed after Feb. 1 and announced a partnership with GK Global to nearshore its fabric supply.

Hales recognizes that protecting human rights along the supply chain has been a longstanding challenge across the apparel industry. “That will continue,” he says, “until every part of it truly commits to and acts on eliminating these sources.”

The Human Benefits of Choosing Organic Cotton

Joe Linstroth, co-founder and North American sales director of Organic Tee Star (asi/75177), sees the long history of abuse in the textile industry as an opportunity for his company to be different. Not only do its fair trade and organic certifications protect their fellow humans from exploitation, Linstroth says, but customers are also increasingly demanding it.

“We’re at this moment in North America where there is a shift,” he says. “It’s going to become an economic imperative to make sure workers are taken care of.”

Organic Tee Star just launched in North America within the past year, but Linstroth – a former public radio journalist – has a partner based in Sofia, Bulgaria, who has been in the promo industry for over 20 years. The EU is further along in their sustainability ethos, he says, and the two longtime friends deeply enjoy doing this work together.

“It’s a pleasure to start a business with a friend,” Linstroth says, “and do it in a way that feels good.”

“We’re at this moment in North America where there’s a shift. It’s going to become an economic imperative to make sure workers are taken care of.” Joe Linstroth, Organic Tee Star

The company has a GOTS certification – a global organic textile standard – and works primarily with two manufacturers: Stanley/Stella and Neutral. They source their garments from India and Bangladesh and it’s all fair trade, he notes. Linstroth says it’s more than worth it to do business with people who treat their workers well.

“It really matters,” he says, “and it’s a selling point. We’re at a crossroads in the states with millennials and Gen Z: They’re entering the workforce; they’re 80% of new hires. They want their employers to care about more than the bottom line.”

Linstroth says end-users are still showing price sensitivity, however, which can make it hard when customers see the dollar difference between Organic Tee Star and mass-produced products. “They want to be sustainable – and then they compare prices … and they say, ‘Um, maybe we’ll be green next year,’” he says. “But hey, that’s OK. We’re carrying on.”

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